12 Weeks Study Design for level 8 students

Level 8 Exam Preparation Plan  

12 weeks before

Technical Tests: 

Goals: Mastering C major and C minor Scales (2 octaves, harmonic and melodic), chords (HS), and arpeggios (2 octaves, root and inversions); D major and D minor Scales (2 octaves, harmonic and melodic), chords (HS), and arpeggios (2 octaves, root and inversions); E major and E minor Scales (2 octaves, harmonic and melodic), chords (HS), and arpeggios (2 octaves); C major and C minor Scales (2 octaves), chords (HS), and arpeggios (2 octaves, root and inversions).

Tasks: Practice with HS and slower tempo to focus on accuracy. 

Etudes: 

Goals: The student can roughly play The Woodpecker by Maggie Lu and Etude in C Major by Carl Czerny. The student may not be able to demonstrate the dynamics, but all the pitches, rhythm, and pulses should be played without mistakes. The tempo must be slow, around a quarter note equal to 100 and 60 respectively. 

Tasks: In these weeks, the student should focus on the combination of technical tests and etude pieces. The faster student can finish those pieces, the more time he will get to practice the repertoire pieces. 

Repertoire: Goals: The student must finish the analysis of Little Prelude in E Major by J.S Bach. Separation of hands should be done according to the paragraph. Fingering is very important, so the student must play this piece according to the given notes. 

Sonata in C Major K. 545 by Mozart should be analyzed and performed in HS. The student can slow down and play with hand together then. 

Waltz in B Minor by Chopin should be paragraphed. The student should memorize the chord progression in each sentence. 

Catching Butterflies by Shande Ding needs to be clapped by HS and HT correctly before playing. Paragraphing of this pieces should be done. A music imagination should be told by the student. 

Tasks: The student should focus on understanding the background and the story behind the new pieces. I would encourage the students to focus on the Baroque piece and the Ding’s piece. 

Ear Tests: 

Goals: Mastering perfect octave, 4th, 5th, augmented 4th, 5th. Let the student decide if he or she wants to sing back or name them. The student can name major, minor, and dominant 7th chords. 

Tasks: Let the student choose to play back or improvise. If the student chooses to play back, the melodies of Bb major and C minor with 2/4, ¾, 4/4, and 6/8 should be done. 

Tasks: Basic rhythm patterns practice is important before listening and identifying. 

Sight Reading: Goals: The student can clap the basic rhythm patterns in one measure. Master dotted notes, triplets with other notes before or after, and syncopation. 

Tasks: I would use Piano Adventure sightreading material to let the student practice. I would assign homework for him to practice at home. 

8 weeks before

Technical Tests: Bb major and Bb minor Scales (2 octaves, harmonic and melodic), chords (HS), and arpeggios (2 octaves, root and inversions); Eb major and Eb minor Scales (2 octaves, harmonic and melodic), chords (HS), and arpeggios (2 octaves, root and inversions); Gb major and F# minor Scales (2 octaves, harmonic and melodic), chords (HS), and arpeggios (2 octaves, root and inversions). 

Tasks: The student should focus on the second half of the keys. 

Etudes: 

Goals: The students should master the transition between staccato and legato in Woodpecker, and the dramatic contrast of dynamics should be demonstrated perfectly. 

In Etude in C major, the student can play both hands stably to avoid sudden strong notes. The rests should be demonstrated not too fast or slow. Dynamics should be demonstrated perfectly. 

Tasks: A deep polish of the two pieces is the main point. In Woodpecker, students need to practice accented notes, before dynamics. After that, the student can put them together. This piece is not hard, but the balance of different components can be tricky. 

Repertoire: Goals: Bach’s piece should be played with HT. Pitches and rhythm should be played correctly, although the tempo could be slower, around 50. 

Mozart’s piece should be performed stably, especially the rotated parts, such as LH m. 1-5, 11, 13-17, 24-26. The extension of RH scales should be no gaps. All the ornamentations must be performed clearly. 

Chopin’s piece should be played with correct pitches and rhythm. The student must master the transition from B minor harmonic to B major, making no mistakes of the pitches. Ding’s piece should be demonstrated with correct contrast dynamics, and accented notes should be performed dramatically. 

Tasks: These weeks the teacher should help the student deeply polish those pieces. Working on finding similarities of each pieces can help him with memory. \

Ear Tests: 

Goals: Mastering minor 2nd, major 2nd, minor 7th, and major 7th. The student can name dominant 7th, diminished 7th, and augmented triads. The student can name all the minor keys’ chord progressions. The student can play back C, E minor with the same time signatures above. 

Tasks: After the first four weeks practice, students could identify the 4th and 5th intervals. Inharmonic intervals and chords are the focus. Diminished and augmented triads also sound inharmonic, so letting the child listen and name all the inharmonic intervals and chords is essential for them to comparing with harmonic ones.  

Sight Reading: Goals: The student can clap and play the eight measures pieces as the level five or six with two sharps and two flat keys of majors and minors. 

Tasks: new pieces should be assigned by the teacher 24 hours before classes. 

4 weeks before

Technical Tests: Expand the scales of all the required keys to 4 octaves; master Eb major and Eb minor (harmonic) formula pattern (4 octaves) and Eb major and E minor (harmonic) chromatic scales; all the chords should be played HT; all the arpeggios should be expanded to 4 octaves. Focus on eliminating gaps of extensions in scales and arpeggios. 

Tasks: Four octaves require the student to use wrists when doing extension. Correct fingering is essential, so using Hannon to correct the fingering is important. 

Etudes: Goals: Both pieces should be performed with correct tempo. 

Tasks: Using metronome is essential when practice. 

Repertoire: Goals: Bach’s piece should be played with memory. 

The connected slurs of Mozart’s piece should be performed with wrists movement. Rests should not drag. 

Chopin’s piece must be memorized with correct dynamics. The tempo should be played with the indicated one. 

Ding’s piece should be memorized. All the details should be demonstrated accurately, such as dynamics and broken chords. 

Tasks: Bache’s piece’s details should be polished, such as the ornamentation in m. 10 and 19. Two voices part should be demonstrated correct in m. 10.

Ear Tests: Goals: Mastering minor 3rd, major 3rd, minor 6th, and major 6th. The playing back should be expanded to 11 notes. 

Sight Reading: Goals: the student can handle four sharps and flats major or minor keys with four time signatures above. 

2 weeks before

Technical Tests: goals: mock tested the child can play in accordance with the requirements of all the keys with rare mistakes. 

Tasks: Draw keys and play in class and practice the keys that the student is not good at, especially the gaps of extensions should be eliminated in arpeggios. 

Etudes: Goals: Small details should be performed perfectly, such as tenuto with slurs and accented notes in m. 4, 12, etc. in Woodpecker. 

Repertoire: Bach’s piece should be performed with required tempo and balanced dynamics. 

Mozart’s piece can be played with memory.  

Chopin’s piece should be demonstrated with correct tempo, especially the from ritardando to a tempo. LH should be demonstrated with waltz pulse. 

Ear Tests: Goals: The student should quickly identify all the intervals, chords, and chord progression. The student can play back 10-11 notes melodies immediately with starting in different notes. 

Sight Reading: Goals: pieces will be given to the student 24 hours before classes, and the student must clap and play with rare mistakes in classes. 

1 week before

Technical Tests: Goals: while mocks in person and online, the student can fluently play the chosen pieces. 

Tasks: let students decide the order of the parts in exam. 

Etudes: Goals: in online mock test, the student must make no mistake with the correct tempo. 

Repertoire: Goals: All the pieces should be mocked in person and online with flow tempo. 

Ear Tests: Goals: when the teacher do mock, the student can quickly answer any questions. 

Sight Reading: Goals: mock tests will be given, and the student must clap and play with no mistakes.